Exhibitions

American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith

June 28, 2017 – Permanent
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National Museum of American History
1300 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC

2nd Floor, West Wing

See on Map Floor Plan

From the American Revolution to the present, trace the unfolding of America's experiment with government “of, by, and for the people” and examine the founding political principles of the nation: citizenship in a pluralistic society; inclusion and exclusion; and political participation and engagement.

Highlights include:

  • the writing desk on which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence
  • the lamp George Washington used while writing his farewell address
  • the inkstand Lincoln used to draft the Emancipation Proclamation
  • the table on which Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the Declaration of Sentiments